National Garden Bureau Declares 2016 to be the Year of the Carrot

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Once grown for medicinal purposes, we now consider carrots a tasty part of our diet. And in celebration of this nutritional vegetable the National Garden Bureau has declared 2016 the year of the carrot.

The original carrots were scrawny and purple or black. After centuries of breeding you can now find plumper, tastier carrots in shades of orange, red, yellow and purple.

Grow carrots in containers or gardens with loose moist soil free of rocks. Those with rocky or heavy soils will have greater success growing short and half long varieties.

Planting the very small carrot seeds at the proper spacing can be challenging. Make this task easier with the help of seed tapes. Just roll out these biodegradable tapes that have carrot seeds properly spaced and attached. Lightly cover with soil and you are on your way to an abundant harvest.

A bit more information: Final spacing of carrot plants is based on when you plan to harvest and how you plan to use this vegetable. Thin plantings so only one or two seedlings remain per inch. Harvest these when small and immature. Give seedlings more room, leaving one seedling every 1 to 2 inches, if you plan to grow carrots to full size.